From the Beatles to biologics – how Liverpool became a life science hotspot

Bristol Myers Squibb is building a new 35 m glass-clad laboratory building in Leasowe , near Moreton .

The move comes as Britain ’s biggest company, AstraZeneca , has put on hold a vaccine research and manufacturing site in nearby Speke , a suburb to the south of Liverpool , while it tries to secure UK government grant funding.

AstraZeneca plans to spend $ 3.5bn on new labs that will bring together all its researchers in the Boston area.

UK ’s 108bn life sciences sector provides more than 300,000 jobs across the country.

Liverpool is the only place in the UK with officially designated “high potential opportunity” status for vaccines.

Speke is where the Scotch Distillers , became one in Europe in Europe to manufacture the first penicillin, in 1945 , and where Eli Lilly made biosynthetic insulin and human growth hormone.

Liverpool city region delivers 2bn of infectious disease research and development each year .

TriRx factory saved from closure by US company Elanco Animal Health saving 300 jobs.

Liverpool has long history of infectious diseases and public health initiatives.

City council report said last year that it suffered from a lack of investment’.